Monday, October 01, 2018

Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday described the controversial Rafale deal as the "father of Bofors" and said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's importance in the country's politics had increased after repeatedly speaking against the deal.

In an article in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Raut said those who accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's relatives of receiving kickbacks worth Rs 65 crore in the Bofors deal were in power now. "Today, they are accused of pocketing Rs 700 crore in the Rafale jet deal. Rafale is the father of Bofors."

Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party over Francois Hollande's reported claims on the deal, the Sena MP wondered if the former French president would be dubbed a supporter the Congress president or an "anti-national".
On September 21, a French media report quoted Hollande as purportedly saying the Indian government proposed Reliance Defence as an offset partner for Rafale maker Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000-crore deal and France did not have a choice.
"The question is not that Anil Ambani was given the contract for the fighter jets, but, as against the price of Rs 527 crore for each jet, the deal was done at Rs 1,570 crore during (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi government's tenure. This means middlemen got a commission of about Rs 1,000 crore per jet," the Sena leader said.
30/09/18 PTI/DNA